Financial support is requested for the 24th Annual Meeting of the American Aging Association (AGE) to be held Oct. 14-18,1994 in Washington, DC. AGE is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the United States. For 23 years, the annual meeting of this organization has served to bring together members and non members from the scientific and clinical fields who are interested in aging and research. The annual meeting thus serves as a vehicle for promoting scientific inquiry on aging and age-related diseases, for dissemination of scientific information, and for facilitating interactions among scientists and clinicians. For the 1994 meeting, the program committee has chosen "The Free Radical Theory of Aging" in honor of Denham Harman. In a series of papers beginning in 1956, Dr. Harman described a hypothesis regarding the role of free radicals and partial reduction products of molecular oxygen in the etiology of aging. Dr. Harman is one of the founding members of AGE, the first president of the organization, and has served as executive director of AGE from 1973- 1992. The diversity inherent in this theme is designed to give attendees broad, but in depth, exposure to major issues surrounding a theory which has spawned an incredible amount of research in gerontology and in many other biomedical fields. Topics are chosen to reflect current areas of interest and those which show promise in the near future. It is expected that the breadth and depth of this agenda will also enhance not only the exchange of scholarly ideas, but will provide the seed for future research endeavors. Five symposia are planned for the annual meeting. The symposia titles include: I. Free Radicals & Mitochondria II. Antioxidant Genes Ill. Antioxidants & Nutrition IV. Neuropathology of Oxidative Stress V. Industrial Initiatives in Antioxidant Interventions Since 1956, the free radical theory of aging has provided a molecular framework in which to investigate age-related dysfunctions. Research in this area has intensified over the years attesting to the utility of the theory in providing a framework for and driving biomolecular research. The goal of this conference is to bring together researchers with divergent interests to focus on a theory which continues to show promise for furthering understanding of the mechanisms underlying biological aging processes.